Fnq

[Hawk-eye]

Hey Happy new year to everyone.
I have an oppotunity to go to Cape York and obviously the TIP in June this year, assuming CoVid19 allows.
My question is to the Gurus that have done it in say, the last 18>24 months, how was it, how tough would you rate it.
I have a NX, pretty sure the car will do the job at hand, just would like to make sure that i can do it...LOL.
I have done quite a bit of low range & river crossings in the Vic high country and extended journeys in remote areas, so look just looking for peoples experiences.

Thanks Heaps-Lets hope 2021 is better that 2020, and again HNY to all.

[Pwoffey]

I suppose a bit depends on which route to the Tip you will take, the Bypass roads or the Tele Track? Or a bit of both? Also, the Cape is a very big place. Are you intending on going out to the Palmer River Goldfields via the Old Coach Road? Maybe to Lockhart River/Chili Beach? By Frenchman's or Portland Roads? I could go on..... And are you towing? Travelling as a sole vehicle or with others?

In general terms a Pajero NX is easily capable of getting to the Tip and to most other places on the Cape. Some tracks you would consider extremely carefully and take advice from people with local knowledge very close to the day you do it (Frenchmans' comes to mind). One thing you can be sure of is that you will meet corrugations, hundreds of kilometres of them. Early in the season, especially if you are lucky enough to get in just after the graders have been through, it will be a bit easier, but not easy. I don't know what mods you have done on your vehicle, but good quality, low mileage, LT tyres are a must, and aftermarket suspension to cope with the load over corrugations would also be top of the list. (Given your experience It's likely you've already got those., but don't set off with low tread.)

If you stick to the main roads then apart from the bum-numbing corrugations and therefore the risk of component failure I would not class the Cape as tough. Bit of a doddle really. If you are towing the full length of the Tele Track or want to cross the Pascoe (especially) and Wenlock Rivers on Frenchman's then you'll want to be at the top of your game.

If you let us know a bit more detail of your rig and your plans there would be lots of people on the Forum who'd give more detailed advice.

[Hawk-eye]

Pwoffey thanks for your reply.
I will be leaving the camper trailer at home, OZ tenting it. I have a good 2inch lift, tyres will be fine approx 20,000km Good A/T.
I dont want to do anything extreame, so yeah a bit of the TELE, happy to do a few river crossings, Six vehicles going, one off road camper trailer.
At least one of the convoy one wants to do Gunshot, but that his call, I wont be doing anything extreame like that, I want to get back home with minimal damage.
So yeah Palmer River Goldfields & Old Maytown is on the cards, pay a vist to a few National Parks. Isabella falls Fruit Bat Falls.
So you think a man of my Bore & Stroke could manage it easy enough.?

[Pwoffey]

With 6 well prepared vehicles (and no doubt as least some will have winches) you should be good to go. Of course you don't need to do all of the Tele Track. A particularly nice taste of it can be obtained by leaving the Bamaga (southern bypass) Road for the Tele Track at the turnoff to Fruit Bat Falls (and of course go into the Falls) then rejoin the Tele Track going north to Eliot Falls/Twin Falls. You will meet an often unnamed river (usually known as Scrubby Creek) a bit before the Eliot Falls camping area. Treat this with respect, the water can be over the bonnet so let someone else go first . North from Eliot Falls the crossing of Canal Creek and then Sam Creek are really nice without being too challenging. Then if you don't want to chance the remainder of the northern section of the Tele, you can chuck a left along the "escape" track at Mistake Creek which gets you back to the Bamaga (northern bypass) Road. As long as Scrubby Creek is not too high, this little route is perfectly do-able with a camper-trailer. If it is too high, then no biggie, there is a big turning circle at the ford, and it's only a few km to retrace back to the Bamaga Road.

I hope you have a great trip and it is not thwarted by COVID

[Pajshomoneroguntero]

A little to the right of Scrubby Creek is a concrete causeway. I believe this was added by QLD Parks within a couple of seasons ago I think in response to complaints that ease of access to the Elliot Falls campground lies with Parks probably the same complainants happy to see bitumen up that way.

Anyway, Scrubby would have been bonnet-high when I was there Sep 19 and the causeway barely wet the tyres. This was the only creek of the lot I opted out of because the camper was on the back.